Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-22
aovEElvOE 1rARrI1I's MESSAGES.
Delivered At the Opening sF the Twenty.
second Session OF the Kansas State Leg

]
islatUre.
To the Senate and House Of Repressatati0ssg
/ To be elected chief executive Of this great
/ Intelligent and progressive state for q sec
| oRd term, is a distinguished honor. And
/ Eru5t 1t Is not inappropriate for me to eE-
press to the people Of Kansas, through you,
! their chosen representatives my grateful Gp-
/ probation OF their generous confidence, my
! profound sense of the responsibilities de-
| VolVed upon me, and my earnest hope that I
/ may, by an honest, faithful and conscien-
/ HOas performance of my official duties, in
some measure justify the faith they have
| ropOsed in me.
/ The growth Of Kansas, during the past
Two years, has been extraordinary. The cen
yus Of March LIST, 1884, gave the state a pop
/ alation OF ], l55, GA; that of March 1st 1886,
showed an increase to J, 4O6s 13e; and our
/ population now exceeds lyoOO, 600. Since
| he first Of January, 1885, fifteen new cOun-
hes have been organized. These counties
aad, at the date of their organization, an
I aggregate population Of 1854, and they
pOlled, at the November election, (three not
FOting,) a total of Is, los votes. They in
sluds a territorial area of 1885 square
miles Only two of the one hundred cOun-
hes Of the state, embracing an area of ], $50
tquRre miles, remain to be organized.
| During the same period two Cities Wlch-
ia and Kansas City, have been organized a
| mites of the first class, and thirteen, Cherry
Fale, Abilene, Eureka, Minneapolis, An
ihOny, FL Dorado, Seneca, Weir, Great Bend,
Dodge City, Larned, Hutchinson and South
Topeka, as cities of the second class.
Two years ago the railway mileage of Kan
sas aggregated only 4, 1861 miles, assessed
| At $28, 455, 9O7 Sc, and trsveFsing seventy
lhree counties of the state. To-day Kansas
ags $3.50 miles Of completed railway, the
assessed value of which Is tally S39, OO0, 900.
These lines traverse eighty-six OF our one
hundred counties.
In 1884 the assessed value Of all the prop-
brty of the state WAS 1921, O20, 391; for 1856
| { was $277, 575, 353. We had, then, 13, OIL
. Ef1 gutETWutTnms last had
! 10, 473, 4S5 acres.
The figures indicate the constant grow tn
If the state. They illustrate, also, not only
he faith cur own citizens have in the future
| Y Kansas, but the cOntidencs the people Of
| ther states and countries feel IN its sub
3tantial and continuous development The
influx or foreign capital and enterprise has,
ndeedJ surpassed that OF auy other period
I n the states history. The railroad build
/ ing of the past year has been phenomenal,
tar exceeding that accomph he'd duTing a y
previous season. The growth of our cities
and towns, also has been uneLampled /.
.he history of any state and the rapid.
/ steady, and, IN some instances, eItravaghD
increase IN property values, Is remarkable
You, gentlemen Of tbs Legislature, ar,
| assembled to make laws for this great state
/ In your hands, also, rests all authority t.
levy taxes and direct the expenditure OF tht
public revenues. In large measure, there
lore, the honor and welfare Of the common
wealth and the prosperity and happiness OF
is p5Opie, depend upon your action. The
/ 1l1eEent state and bureau officers and til,
boards having charge of our public inFtitu
/ lions viii all submit to you, for your infor
nation and consideration, their biennisI
/ reports. / trust You viii examine these re
ports carefully to the end that you may act
/ 1pon the suggestions or recommendation
hey enbOdy with deliberatiOn and justice
It Is natural that each officer charged with
ihs performance Of specific duties, and eaeh
| BOARD appointed to manage a public trust,
| ihOuld believe that the interests and needs
IF MS dan9rtrTf9FnH uTFnzt
] md pressing. Consider carefully ali the
/ recommendations thus made, but beer IL
mind, at the same time, the interests and
16eus OF the people. The year Just closed
las not been, in many respects, prosperous
ieason. The crops have been short, cpl
iemics have brought heavy losses upon
I stock ratsers, the prices OF all cereals ana
/ stock have ruled low, and many OF our Glti-
sens are feeling the stress Of the widespread
/ Industrial depression. Economy in all ap-
/ 2ropriGtiOns made for the ensuing blsnnill
PERIOD iss therefore, alike desirable and
necessary. No good citizen viii complain
/ concerning a public expenditure shown to
| )e essential; all have right to complain,
/ I, during such period as the present, III
/ 3ecessaFy expenditures are authorized. All
| negligent citizens know that taxation for
itate purposes has never been burdensOme
u excessive, but they know, also, that every
| Mill added by the state is a feather laid
IpOn the dreadful load Of municipal taxa
ion that threatens to crush the energy ana
enterprise of so many Of our counties, town
ihips and cities. 1 earnestly urge, there
lore, that no expenditure be authorized
lnless its necessity be clearly shown; that
al appropriations which will bear delay, be
postponed; and that a resOlute effort be
made to reduce the burdens of state taxa
ion to the lowest possible limit consistent
9TH the needs of a wise and economical ad-
ninistratiOn Of the public business.
NEW COUNTIES.
Fifteen new counties have been organized
Turing the past two years, viz: OOmanche,
February 9th, CLARK, May 9th, Thomas,
october 9Th. and Meade, November 4th 1885;
md Hamilton January 18th, kiOWa, March
Sd, Cheyenne, April LIST, Lane, June Sd,
Sc ward, June 18th, Scott, j une 18th, Stevens,
August Sd, Cove, September ID, Sherman,
september 30th, Morton, November 18th,
md Wichita, December oath, 1886.
Should thelegislature, by changes in cOun-
y lines, create additional counties, earn
sstly recommend that the law governing
heir organization be made mere specific IN
"a directions. It is, in its present form, con-
using and inadequate. The organization of
leaEly every new county Ia attended by an
exciting contest over the location r the
enpOrary seat Of justice, aud the governor
| required to locate such county seat at the
place designated 'tby majority of the legal
Foters in memorial" How he is to deter
nine who are legal voters, and how the me-
norials presented are to be verified, is not
prescribed. / would suggest that, on the
presentation Of legal petition asking that q
lew county be organized the executive
Ihould be empowered to appoint some cIti-
ssn of the state, not resident of nor inter
ssted in the proposed new county, as census
aksr, and that said census takers IN addi-
ion to the duties now prescribed by
aW, should be required to take an
| oppression Of the preference of the legal
7otsrs on the location of the county seat,
md make return Thereof, under oath. Long,
expensive and annoying controversies might
hus be avoided, and a fair and impartial
oasis for executive action would be estab-
&zAea.
STATE FINANCES.
The reports Of the auditor aud treasurer
surIaiah q detailed and satisfactory exhibit Of
he last biennial period. During the two
years covered By these reports the receipt.
II the treasury (inciuding q balance OF
1854, 612.O7 on hand July LIST, 1884, eggne-
gated S5,547s 16g. 83, and the diso1EseEaent7
or the same period were 81, So, 50. IL,
saving a balance in the treasury June 3Oth5
| 1886, Of 1854, 273I6.
The total bonded debt Of the state, on the
LIST Of January 1887, was $3.50 800, showing
q reduction, since January 1sts 1885, Of SI05,-
0OO OF the debt outstanding only $256, O0l
Of bonds remain in the hands Of indiViduala
and corporations, 1914 800 being held By
. different state funds. The permanent
school fund holds $50, 500 the sinking
tuRd, 81. Co., and tbs university fund.- So
{ 200.
The bonds'and securities ia the treasury or
, the 31st day OF Decsmber, 1886, aggregated
S4,678, O45.6z, as follows peEusaneut school
, fund bonds $40 s6z7. 05; sinking f9nc
bonds. So, 900; university fund bonds, 5lO6g
56S; normal school fund bonds, l,407
{ Agricultural college endowment fund bonds
S488, 066. 69i agricultural college notes ana
contracts, S48, N, 50.
2 From Juiy LIST to Dscember S1st, 1885, Ia
! EsssiDts Of the state treasury we're g. 6ol
{ BOIss Er0za taxes &454,O 74.07; from psuI
tsndaEy earnings, s., 1881; from InEan